Tubular lantern



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. OQSTEWABT. TUB ULAR LANTERN.

N0. 411,937. Patented Oct. 1, 1889.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

W. C. STEWART.

. TUBULAR LANTERN.

No 411,937. Q Patented Oct. 1, 1889,

qwibneooogmvewtoz attoznm Parent \VILLIAM CHARLES STE\VART, OF BELLAIRE,OHIO.

TUBULAR LANTERN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 411,987, dated October1, 1889.

Appli ation fil d February 21, 1889. Serial No. 300,639. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM CHARLES STEWART, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at- Bellaire,in the county of Belmont and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TubularLanterns; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexactdescription of the invention, which will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention forming the subject of this application. appertains to anew and improved tubular lantern, and the various novelties ofconstruction therein relate principally to means whereby the globe andsupports may be moved from position above the burnercones, so that freeaccess may be had to the latter, and also to means for securely lockingsuch globe and its supports in position over the burner-cones when thelantern is in use.

In a prior application for Letters Patent for improvements in tubularlanterns I have described a device for raising and throwing the globe toone side of the burner-cones, consisting, principally, of a hand-leverpivoted to the oil-pot, and in the present application the same resultis accomplished by hinging the lower extremity of the sideair-conducting tubes to the oil-pot and burnencones, so that the saidside air-conducting tubes and globe and supports may be moved pivotallyaway from the burner-cones, and by means of an intermediate bearing forthe globedisk the globe will at the same time be elevated from theburner-cones.

I do not pretend to maintain that I am the first to hinge the sideair-conducting tubes of a tubular lantern to the base of the same, asthis is shown in the patent to R. J. 'lhomas,No. 309,896, dated December30,1884, and to Elias .I. Hale, No. 252,315, dated January 17, 1880,both for improvements in tubular lanterns; but I do maintain to be theoriginal inventor of auxiliary means used in conjunction with sucharrangements, whereby the globe is elevated from the burner-cones of thelantern, as the side tubes are pivotally moved on the base. i

In order thata lantern may prove a success commercially, it isabsolutely necessary that the globe be lifted entirely clear of theburner-cones when it is desired to gain access to the wick, in orderthat the burner-cones may not become Worn or displaced by the globe.This objection is very readily apparent in the patent of Thomas and ofHale, and it is the principal object of my invention to overcome thisobjection, which I have done by pivotally. securing the globe-supportingdisk to the top of the oil-pot, so that when the side air-conductingtubes are moved pivotally on the base the globe and supports will beelevated, and the globe-disk will not wear against the burner-cones oreven come into contact therewith.

My invention relates, secondarily, to an improved automatic latch soconstructed and arranged that when the globe and its supports are beingmoved back to their original position over the burner-cones the saidlatch Will engage automatically with the globe-supporting disk, andthere can be no accidental disarrangement of the moving parts of thelantern.

These different improvements will be mor fully hereinafter described andembodied in the claims, and they are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which Figure l isa side elevation of the entire lantermshowin g the parts in a closedposition; Fig. 2, a plan view of the base, burner-cones, andsupporting-disk, and a portion of the side airconduct-ing tubes andglobe, showing the partsin an open position; Fig. 3, an elevation,partly in section, of the same portion of a lantern, showing the partsin the same posit-ion; Fig. 4, asectional view of a portion of the sideair-conducting tubes and the base and burnercones, and Fig. 5 a sideelevation showing the globe as being lowered.

In the views the difiierent parts of the lantern are designated byidentical letters of reference in each view. a

The form of the lantern illustrated is Well known, and of course I makeno claim to such parts as the base A, burner-cones B, sideair-conducting tubes 0 C, central airconducting tubes D, canopy or hellE, globe F, supportingdisk G, or connecting-braces H H for such partsare old.

The joint of the lower ends of the air-conducting tubes is madetelescopic and is constructed, preferably, as follows: Two shortcylindrical tubes a a are secured to the top of the base A in anysuitable manner, but preferably by soldering, and each of these shorttubes is diametrically opposite from the other and extends out about tothe periphery of said base, thougl'i, of course, it should be understoodthat this is a matter of preference only, and is by no meansindispensable. Each of these short tubes communicates with the space inthe base directly beneath the burnercones, and on the upper portion ofsaid tubes is a slot 19 1), extending about one-third of the distance ofthe entire circumference of each. The extreme lower or horizontalportion 0 c of each of the side air-conducting pipes is inserted withineach of said short tubes at a, thereby forming a telescopic joint, sothat the air-conducting tubes may be moved pivotally on the short tubes.A lug d d is secured to the lower horizontal portion of each sideconducting-tube and moves within the slot 1) b, so that the pivotalmovement of the side air-conducting pipes will be limited to themovement of the lug dwithin the slot b. By this means of pivoting theside tubes to the base it will be evident that the lower end of the sidetubes will be prevented from any lateral movement within the sleeves,and there is therefore no danger of the side tubes becoming accidentallyseparated from the lower portion of the lantern.

Such a joint as just described may be varied in a good many respects.For instance, the lugs and slot can be dispensed with, or, instead ofinserting the lower horizontal portions of the side air-conducting pipeswithin the short tubes a a, it might be just as advisable to place suchlower horizontal portions on the outside of such short tubes; but byeither of these forms the operation of the parts would not be materiallychanged. On the under side of the supporting-disk G, near its periphery,is a sheath or tongue e, secured in position, preferably, by soldering.Passing through this sheath or tongue is the upper portion of a metallicsupport I. This support is made, by preference, of a single piece ofwire, and consists of the two curved upright portions ff, secured to thetop of the base A by any suitable means and connected together at theirupper ends by the before-mentioned horizontal portion, which passesthrough the sheath or tongue c. This support can be varied somewhat-as,for instance, it could be made of two or more pieces, or with only onecurved upright portion, or the upright portions could be madestraight-but any such changes would not require inventive ingenuity todevise, but merely mechanical skill. Rigidly secured to the top of thebase A, preferably by solder ing, is a spring-catch J, diametricallyopposite from the support I. This spring-catch can be made of a singlepiece of springy wire bent into the double form shown in the drawbutwhether of one form or the other it is necessary that the latch shouldbe provided with an upper inclined portion 9 and with a hooked orlooking portion It, so that when the globe and its supports arebeingswung back into their original position over the burnercones the disk Gwill come into engagementwith the inclined portion g of the latch, andthe latch will be gradually forced backward until the locking portion77. engages with the inclined periphery of the globe-supporting disk G.

All the other parts of thelantern are made as is usual, with theexception that the opening in the canopy or bell for the passage of thecentral air-conducting pipe is made somewhat longer than is customary,so that the canopy or bell may be moved in an inclined describedtelescopic joint, and the globe and Y its supports will partake of thegeneral motion of said air-conducting-pipes. The globe supporting disk Gis, however, secured to the immovable base A, to one side of thepivoting point, for the side air-conducting pipes, by means of thesupport I, so that portion of the said disk which carries the sheath ortongue a will remain stationary with the said base. Therefore theswinging motion of the side air-conducting pipes will tend to force theglobe upwardly, and the canopy or bell will be moved toward the upperportion of the central air-conducting tube, and the parts will assumethe position shown in Fig. 5. Upon swinging the air-conducting tubes totheir original position the action of the parts just described will bereversed, and the periphery of the disk G will be caught and retainedautomatically by the latch J as just mentioned.

In order to effectively protect the globe, it might be advantageous,though not absolutely necessary, to make use of a circular wire guide K,extending from one side tube to the other entirely around said globe.

Other additions might be made without I to the base at one side of theside tubes, and

connecting-braces secured to the canopy and globe-supporting plate,whereby when the side tubes are moved to one side both vertical andlateral motions are imparted to the globe, substantially as set forth.

2. In a tubular lantern, the combination of the base, side tubespivotally connected to the base, a globe movably connected to thecentral tubes by means of the canopy, a supporting-plate for said globepivotally attached to the base at one side of the side tubes,connecting-braces secured to the canopy and globe-su pportin gplate,whereby when the side tubes are moved to one side both verticaland lateral motions are imparted to the globe, and a latch attached tothe base and engaging with the globe-supporting plate when the parts arein their normal position, substantially as set forth.

3. In a tubular lantern, the combination of the base, side tubes pivotedin sleeves a a on the base, slots Z) 1) within said sleeves, studs d din said side tubes and engaging with said slots, a globe movablyconnected to the central tube by means of the canopy, a supporting-platefor said globe pivotally attached to the base at one side of the sidetubes, and connecting-braces secured to the canopy and globe supportingplate, whereby When the side tubes are moved to one side both verticaland lateral movements are imparted to the globe, substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WVILLIAM CHARLES STEWART. \Vitnesses:

ELLsWoRTH HIBBS, WILLIAM PARKS.

